Sharp County record., 1887-08-11
T4LMAGFg SERMON.
Trhs Heavenly Existence Not a One
" Ldleness.
1cc,,Datious rs Many ana Varied in the
Celestial World rs Upon the EarIh
II Beautifuf Word Picture
of the Future.

Pew, =. Dewitt Taimage took Tor the
sUbieer of his Cnird sermon 1t The lamp
-ons the ssFunuiovmeEts Of Heaven" MS
5exI being:
Now came 10 pass in the thirtieth year. IN
he fourth month. inthe ffth dav of the MONTH
7s WAS among The CaptiVes by the river OI
-,riebar- nat the Heavens were Opened--rl-e-
'ieli.l. ,.-
Ezekiel. with others, had been ex-
natriated. and while IN foreign slavery
r-ps standing on the banks Of the royal
canal which he and other seFrs nae. Deeh
condemned TO dig by the order OF Nehu-
cbaduezzar.-this royal canal N the teNl
called the rlver-of Ghebar: the illustrlous
exile had visions of Heaven. Indeed IL IS
almost always so that the brightest VISIONS
of Heaven come not to those VINO are on
mountain top Of prosperity, Duu 70 some
Tohu- on iesoiate Pat1uos, or 10. some Bnul
in Jer1eFrirne dungeon. OF TO some EZeklet
standing on the banks Of q ditch he tlad
been compelled to dig-F-ea- 70 the weary
TO the heart-hrokeu. to those whom sorrow
has banished.
The text is very particular 10 5iTe us me
exact time-of he vision. It was N Ihe
ghirriafh wear. and in the fourth month";
ana in the fifth dav Of the month. SO You
have had visions Of earth vou snail
never forget. You remember the
YEAR. Won remember the month";
Won remember the dav, vOu remember the
hour. Why may not we have some such
vision this morning. and il he IN the sixth
month and in the fourth day Of the MONTH
The question IS often silently asked
though DerhaDs never audibtv pTopoHnded:
fsyVIat are our departed Christian friends
doiug uo7v2" The question is more easily
answered than Won perhaps might suppose.
Though there las come Orecen1 lnteill-
renee from the heavenly city, ana we seem
deDendent 11pon the story OF eighteen ceH-
turtles ago. still [ think we may rom
strongest differences decide what are the
present OCCUPATIONS Of orr transferred
dnsfoik.
After God has made nature he never
eradicates the chief characteristics Of It's
temperament. YOu never knew man
uhlegmatic n temperament TO become
sanguIne- N 5empeFnment. EOH. never
knew a man sanguine n temperament to
become phiegmatic IN temperament. Com
version plants new principles IN the sonl-
On, Paul and John are lust rs different
from each other after conversion us they
we're different from each other before COM
version. If conversion does not eradicate
the prominent characteristics OF the tenn
III
hem.
You have. then. oniv bv a sum IN SUD-
traction ana a sum n addition 20 decide
what are the empiOvments Of yOIr de-
parted friends II the better world. GOu
are 70 subtract from them all earthly
g,rossuess and add all earthly goodness.
ana then Won are 70 come TO the conclusion
that they are doing now n Heaven what
in their best moments they did on earth.
The reason that SO many peopieneverst start
for Heaven is because they could not stand
iftff they got there If it-shoHld turn out TO
be theri and formal place some people
Photographic.
We ike 70 come 20 church, but We
would not wan1 to stay here TO next Christ
mas. Weliketo hear the Haileiula Chorus.
bWt we would not want TO hear It all the
tfIAe for fifty centuries. It might be On
some GREAT occasion il would be possibly
comfortable TO wear a crown Of gold
weighing several pounds. but / would De
IN naff1iction TO wear such a crown forever.
mother words. We run The descriptions
Of Heaven MO the ground while we make
that which was intended rs especial ana
ceiebrntive to be the exclusive employment
II the Heaven. You might as we'll. #
asked TO describe the habits Of American
society, describe a Decoration Dav OF a
Fourth Of Juiv, OF IN autumnal ThanksgIv-
ng, aS though i were all the time that
Wav.
Lam not going TO speculate in regard 10
the future world. INT must. Nv Inevitable
avs Of Inference and deduction ana COM
mon sense, conclude that in Heaven weyT1ll
he jult as different from each other rs We
are now different. and hence that there
will be at least as many different employ.
nnents n the celestial world rs there are
emplOvments here. Christ IS TO be thsgreat
love, the great iov, the great rapture, the
great yvorship Of Heaven: but will that
abolish empiOvment! 10 more than loves
on earrh-9ateFnai. filiai. frateFnai. COM
iugai love-abolish earthly occupation.
IN the first place. LremArk that all those
u Onr departed Christian friends VINO on
earth found great Joy in the fne arts are
now nduiging their tastes IN the same iii.
rection. On earth they had their giaddest
pleasures amid pictures ana 5tatuarv, anu
in the study Of the avs Of light anu shade
and psrspective. Have Won anv idea that
that aff1ueHce OF facuity 1T death oyilapsed
ana psrishsdY Whv 50. vhen there s
more Tor them TO lOok at. and they nave
keener appreciation Of the beautiful. anu
they stand amid the very oOms where the
sunsets and the rainbows and the spring
mornings arc woveng
Are Won so Obtuse as 70 suppose that be-
cause the painter drops mis- easel and the
sculptor his chisei and the engraver Ills
knife, that, therefore, chat taste, which ne
was eniarging ami intensifving for forty
or fifty years, is entirely Obiiterated?
These artists. or these friends Of art, on
earth worked in coarse material and with
imperfect brain ana with trail hand. Now
they have carried their art INTO larger
liberties and INTO wider circumference. |
They are ut their old business vet. bnt
without the fatiguss, without the imita-
tiOns. without the hindrances Of the ter
restriai studio.
Do not. therefore, be melancholy among
the tapestries. the bric-a,brac. and the .
and the water coiOrs. and the
works OF art which Your departed friends
Used to admire. DOnOt saw: ''T am sorrv